City profile · Montana · Census ACS 2023

Orchard Homes, MT

Orchard Homes's Census ACS profile: residents, income, housing, and the joined public-record layers available for this place.

5,280
Residents
$68,649
Median income
$473,100
Median home
$1,336
Median rent (state)
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See how it ranks

State rank, size-class rank, and four peer cities for Orchard Homes.

Place dossier plate

Sheet MT-ORCHARD-HOMES-MT · Orchard Homes, MT 5,280 pop · income 48th pct

POP-TOWN · INC-MID · COL-BELOW · SAFE-UNK · RANK-MID · PHOTO-FINISH · HOME-HIGH · BOOK-UNK

  • POP-TOWN 5,280
  • INC-MID $68,649
  • COL-BELOW 94.6
  • SAFE-UNK Safety pending
  • RANK-MID 48th
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Greeley
  • HOME-HIGH $473,100
  • BOOK-UNK Tracts pending

Nearest income peer: Greeley, CO (+ $1 income $)

Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.

Income neighbourhood around Orchard Homes

Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Orchard Homes on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.

median HH income

What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2026-08-08

Compare beyond this state

Nationwide peers by population, income

Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Orchard Homes on ACS population and median household income . Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.

Similar population

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 5,280.

4 peers

Similar household income

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS median household income. This city: $68,649. Population peers are excluded.

4 peers

Orchard Homes - the verdict

Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Orchard Homes lands in the 48th percentile for household income. Source: Census ACS.

48th
percentile, household income
83rd
percentile, home value
61st
percentile, median rent
📝 How we sourced this

Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.

Data Snapshot: Orchard Homes, MT

Census ACS 2023 estimates count 5,280 residents in Orchard Homes, a small town within Montana. Orchard Homes households earn a median of $68,649 annually, below the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 2.5%. Orchard Homes's housing stock carries a median value of $473,100, and the median resident age is 44.0 years. Educational attainment runs 45.3% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 56.9% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Living costs in Montana run below the national norm: the state registers 94.6 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Below Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,336 monthly. Monthly utility costs average around $175 across Montana, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 33.3 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Very Low).

A decision-led reading path

Useful questions to ask of Orchard Homes's data

How this reading path is ordered

This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from housing and income to work and mobility to comparison shortlist; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.

For Orchard Homes, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares. No matched row is reported here for matched public-school count, local building permits, FBI reported-crime rates, within-city Census tract profiles, annual population history; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.

Question 1

How far does income reach against housing in Orchard Homes?

The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 6.9 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 2.5%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.

This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.

Compare the housing trade-off →

2. Work and mobility

What does the journey to work look like in Orchard Homes?

Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.

Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 70.8%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.

Compare commute patterns →

Question 3

Which cities make useful reference points for Orchard Homes?

Within Montana, the closest population matches are Bigfork (5,249 residents, $82,648 income); Polson (5,334 residents, $51,463 income); Helena Valley Northwest (5,070 residents, $101,278 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Kahaluu, HI (5,282 residents); Primera, TX (5,282 residents); Pana, IL (5,277 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.

Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching.

Open a side-by-side comparison →

Population

5,280 residents

Micro place (under 10k)

Median Household Income

$68,649 /yr

Below median income · poverty 2.5% (Low poverty)

Cost of Living Index (state)

94.6 (US=100)

Near national cost · BEA RPP 2024, Montana average

City profile score · Orchard Homes, MT

67/100

4 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023

Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians (income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out and redistribute weight. How it is calculated.

Poverty rate A-
2.5%

Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.

Bachelor's+ share A-
45.3%

Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.

Cost of living B-
94.6 index

BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.

Household income D
$68,649

Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.

Violent crime N/A
N/A

No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).

Orchard Homes profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions) 4-axis radar comparing 1 series across Poverty rate, Bachelor's+ share, Cost of living, Household income. Poverty rateBachelor's+ shareCost of livingHousehold income 67 B-
Orchard Homes profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)
Read the chart values
  • Poverty rate: 82/100 (A-) · 2.5%
  • Bachelor's+ share: 80/100 (A-) · 45.3%
  • Cost of living: 66/100 (B-) · 94.6 index
  • Household income: 47/100 (D) · $68,649

How does Orchard Homes compare to other US cities?

Orchard Homes measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.

Household income 48% higher than other cities
Home value 83% pricier than other cities
Median rent 61% pricier than other cities

"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

How we calculate these percentiles & ranks

Each percentile compares Orchard Homes against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Montana only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.

Montana-relative analysis

Median Gross Rent places Orchard Homes near the bottom of Montana's cities

Among the 317 Montana cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Orchard Homes ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Orchard Homes only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.

Median Household Income
#105 of 282
63rd percentile in Montana
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 317
0th percentile in Montana
Median Home Value
#36 of 279
87th percentile in Montana
Poverty Rate
#211 of 315
33rd percentile in Montana
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#35 of 317
89th percentile in Montana
How in-state ranks are ordered

Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Montana only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.

48thIncome percentile
Gauge source note

48th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

How Orchard Homes's home value compares nationally

Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)

$473,100 17th percentile more affordable than 17% of 15,600 US cities

Show national distribution $0–$25,000: 5 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$50,000: 54 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $50,000–$75,000: 352 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $75,000–$100,000: 1,086 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $100,000–$125,000: 1,516 US cities (10%). Below this entry. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). Below this entry. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). Below this entry. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Below this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). Below this entry. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). This entry sits in this band. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $700,000–$725,000: 95 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $725,000–$750,000: 71 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $750,000–$775,000: 65 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $775,000–$800,000: 70 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $800,000–$825,000: 57 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $825,000–$850,000: 67 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $850,000–$875,000: 60 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $875,000–$900,000: 58 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $900,000–$925,000: 47 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $925,000–$950,000: 37 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $950,000–$975,000: 31 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $975,000–$1,000,000: 470 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $1,000,000–$1,025,000: 0 US cities (0%). Above this entry. Orchard Homes $0 $1,025,000 every US city, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023

Orchard Homes's home-value-to-income ratio: 6.9×

ACS median home value divided by median household income.

Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#14,625 of 15,516
More affordable than 6% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#10,778 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)

At 6.9×, Orchard Homes sits in the pressured band: national rank #14,625 of 15,516 and #10,778 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000). Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median, a comparison flag, not a verdict on any household.

How this ratio is calculated

Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000. Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0). This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.

Income distribution context

$68,649 Orchard Homes, MT median household income (Census ACS)

Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Household income distribution - Orchard Homes, MT Orchard Homes, MT's median household income ($68,649) against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern. The Lorenz curve and quintile bars are national context, not Orchard Homes, MT-specific shares. $ Household Income Distribution Orchard Homes, MT median $68,649/yr, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Orchard Homes, MT median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Orchard Homes, MT.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 45.3%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 2.5%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 56.9%

Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
5,280
Median Income
$68,649
Median Home Value
$473,100
Median Age
44.0
Poverty Rate
2.5%
Labor force participation
56.9%
Bachelor's Degree+
45.3%

Commute Patterns

Commute source

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
70.8%
Carpool
10.1%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
1.0%
Work from Home
6.2%
Other
11.9%

Based on 2,479 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

Montana statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $175

EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Montana at $175 (electricity about $80 , water and sewer about $40 ).

These are Montana statewide averages, not a meter reading for Orchard Homes. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Montana's BEA cost-of-living index is 94.6 (Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Orchard Homes is $1,336/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Montana statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 33.3 / 100 (Very Low).

Cost/risk geography note

Cost of living is a Montana statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Orchard Homes sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.

How Orchard Homes compares to similar-size Montana cities

Same-state peer method

Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.

City Population Median Household Income
Orchard Homes (this city) 5,280 $68,649
Bigfork 5,249 $82,648
Polson 5,334 $51,463
Helena Valley Northwest 5,070 $101,278
Primary sources on this page

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES. Joins use OMB Bulletin 23-01 / FIPS keys.

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Estimate caveats

ACS and UCR figures are citywide estimates with vintage lags; they do not replace a local visit, school visit, or insurance quote.

Editorial standards, provenance, and how to cite this page

Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

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